The purpose is to study the interaction of calcitonin with its specific receptor target organs. The current investigations should provide further insight into the surface-function relationship in calcitonin. Calcitonin is a small polypeptide hormone and therefore lends itself well to studies using synthetic peptide fragments. The system is also useful for characterizing hormone receptors in kidney, bone and other tissues. Studies are in progress to characterize further the interaction of calcitonin with tissue receptors. It also will be of interest to solubilize the receptors and characterize them chemically.